The online home of Jeremy, Julie, Nolan and Theo.

Ajax (a.k.a. Aiantes, A.J., Maximus, Jaxie Maxie, Jaxom, Chubba Dub, Teddy Bear, Big) is a 2-year old half-angora Siamese sable gib. Both of his parents were half-angoras, so although his fur is very soft and thick, it isn’t as long as a full angora ferret’s fur can get. It does mean, though, that when he sheds his coat twice a year, we really notice it. It also means that he is not fond at all of the hot weather we have been having in the summer.

Ajax, aside from being born to sturdy European bloodlines, was allowed to grow to his full size. Male ferrets, left unneutered continue growing for over a year, and actually have a second growth spurt at 18 months of age. We had Jaxie fixed when he was about 16 months old because we couldn’t stand it anymore. He had been in rut for several months previously, which is not very pleasant: he dribbled urine on himself and all over our house, he dooked and chattered like a Geiger counter every time he saw the other ferrets, and he eventually had to have a separate cage and playtime because of the aggression he showed toward Rocky and the amorous passes he made at our three spayed ladies. Now he’s back to his sweet friendly self.

Ajax was named after two Greek champions, the Aiantes: Ajax the Greater and Ajax the Lesser. We figured Ajax would end up being the size of any two of our other ferrets, so it seemed appropriate. We also considered Achilles and Alcibiades, both of which seemed a bit arrogant to us. Plus they didn’t lend themselves to nicknames. 🙂

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3 thoughts on “FOW: Meet Ajax”

oh my gosh! i want a ferret with european bloodlines! i have four and i looked into angora ferrets as well. would you have any idea where i might find large ferrets in the U.S.? do european ferrets do well with regular ones?

European ferrets are still ferrets, so it will still depend on personality. Ajax happens to be a big dominant boy, so he tends to bully the girls a bit. Niki puts up with it much better than Pandora does, and our new puppy is still a bit shy of him because he doesn’t hesitate to take her toys and bite her on the paw or nose if she gets too close.

If you don’t have any luck finding a breeder of European or angora stock, your best bet is to find any reputable breeder, get a boy, and let him go unneutered as long as you and your other ferrets can stand it, up to about 18 months old. That will give him the chance to grow to his full potential.

Here is a website that all of you ferret lovers may be interested in. It is a web site on ferret colors and color patterns. There are also links to buy a few items as well. http://www.squidoo.com/ferretcolors